


The Killing Ground

by Anniebee420



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Drama & Romance, Eventual Romance, F/M, Friendship, Suspense, hard subject matter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-29
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-05-30 20:48:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19411120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anniebee420/pseuds/Anniebee420
Summary: She was a puzzle he couldn't quite figure out. He was something she didn't know how to take. With his sarcasm and her wit one of of two things were bound to happen. She both frustrated and amused him. He annoyed her to no end but when unforeseen and dangerous circumstances stood in their way could they learn to rely on one another to make it through. A Rafael Barba/Original Female Character Multi Chapter. This will deal with some tough subject matter.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N Okay here is something new and different. Just a warning some of the stuff written will be a bit difficult if you are sensitive to that kind of thing. But if you read please, please, please review. I need to hear from people.

**Chapter One**

She was strong, so very strong. She could never give up. If she did then the wall she had spent years constructing would crumble into ash all around her. She couldn't let that happen. She wouldn't let them see just how much this broke her. Taking a deep breath she stepped under the yellow tape that surrounded the wooded area, the crime scene. She walked toward the detective in charge. Someone she had worked with so many times before. He turned toward her as she approached giving her a tight nod. Even though he was a very seasoned cop she could tell that this bothered him. It would and should bother him. It would bother anyone even her but she couldn't let it. Not yet, not when so many eyes were on her. They looked to her to remain composed, unaffected. Her tears would wait until she was safe behind her own closed, locked door, safe from the world where no one could see.

"Dr. Chase. I see they called in the big guns."

"They always do in situations like this Detective Tutuola" Fin have her an understanding look. She had his respect and in truth she was one of his favorite people to work with. She was smart, caring and determined. She also didn't take crap from much of anyone. He had seen her put people twice her size in their place just with a single look. She had guts and able to hold her own. He couldn't help but like her.

"They should. We need the best in this. This psycho is a slippery little bastard."

"How many do we have?" She asked the question but really wasn't prepared for the answered.

"Last count, twenty." He squinted at the number of yellow flags sticking out from the ground. Twenty flags marking twenty different small bodies. Remains of missing children. Twenty was a very large number. She had unfortunately seen more. She shook her head in disgust.

"My team will be here shortly but I wanted a look see before they got here."

"I thought you might. My partner is talking to the witness that found this mess. He was hiking with his dog when his dog retrieved this." He added as he held up an evidence bag in his gloved hand. In it was a small arm and hand bone. "Poor guy isn't handling it well."

"Can't imagine he is. Where are they?" She asked surveying the area, her gaze landing on three different men at the edge of the crime scene. Fin nodded in the same direction she was looking as he began to lead them in that direction knowing her well enough to know she would immediately want to talk to him. Or so he thought.

"So who is the suit?" She asked indicating to the third man that stood beside Fin's assumed partner and the witness. He too well dressed to be out in the middle of the woods at a crime scene. She quickly glanced down at her more relaxed state of dress. Jeans, olive green tee shirt matched with a light zip up and a baseball cap top it off. She rubbed her hands subconsciously over her pants in an effort to do what she didn't know. But she suddenly felt self-conscience maybe because of his intense look as he seemed to be taking her in.

"That's our ADA Rafael Barba." She raised an eyebrow at that.

"What is the ADA doing at a crime scene like this?" It wasn't uncommon for lawyers to be present but in the same sense, it was.

"He has a personal stake in this. One of his star witnesses in his current case had her son go missing two days ago. He was one of the one’s we found this morning." She felt her heart drop. "Don't worry Evie; he's one of the good ones."

"Coming from you Fin, that's a raging endorsement." She said earning her a bit of a light chuckle.

"Just don't let him know that." She gave him a smile as they finally approached the three men. Fin introduced them. "This is my partner Detective Carisi, our ADA Rafael Barba and our witness Tomas Mason. This is Doctor Evelyn Chase." She shook each of their hands taking note of each of them. Carisi was a charmer or at least thought he was as he took her small hand in a gentle hand shake, smiling the whole time.

"So you're the famous doc that Fin goes on and on about." She returned the smile just slightly retracting her hand from his over eager one.

"Oh I don't know about that but they do tend to call me in on cases such as this”.

"Don't let her kid you. She is very good at what she does. They don’t call her Sherlock for nothing" She wasn't comfortable at any form of compliment but before she could rebuff it a voice next to her asked a question.

"And what is it that you do exactly?" She turned to meet a very hypnotic pair of green eyes, eyes that seemed to study her with several degrees of interest. She found it hard to look away and to concentrate on a coherent sentence. Her uneasiness and his sudden effect on her must have been apparent on her face for a split second because he noticed as an ever so slight smirk appeared on his face, challenge in his eyes. He was studying her just as much as she was him.

"I bring missing children home Mr. Barba, even those who have been gone for a long time." Her answer seemed to shock him. But like her he was good at schooling his features. She didn't break eye contact and neither did he, both challenging the other, neither one backing down. It wasn't until Fin spoke that they both finally looked away. She was in trouble, he _was_ trouble.

"I take it you want a few minutes with our witness." She turned back to Tomas Mason. He was not that much older than her but something about his demeanor seemed off. The way he looked at her made her cringe on the inside. She wasn't the only one apparently because she suddenly felt a presence at her side. In her peripheral she caught sight of Barba.

"Mr. Mason I realize this is a difficult situation but was wondering if you could walk me through this one more time if you please." She could sense his hostility toward her but he was good at keeping it hidden.

"I already told him. Why do I have to keep talking about it?" He was antsy, agitated and she now had no doubt what so ever that he was hiding something. She stayed calm showing him that he couldn't faze her.

"I know, but I may see something they don't. You said you hiked in here and your dog found the arm bone? That's quite a hike, do you take it often?" He seemed to squirm under her scrutiny just so slightly.

"No! I need to take my dog home. Can I go now?" She looked at him again stating none of her thoughts.

“One more question. What kind of dog do you have?” It was an odd question she knew but she got the required response.

“Why does that matter?” He asked rather defensively.

“Just answer the question please.” She asked in a polite yet even tone. Mason looked all around and finally landed on the creature in question as it stood a bit away.

“She’s a German Sheppard can I go now?”

"For now Mr. Mason but I will need to speak with you again." She turned away basically dismissing him and to the untrained eye seemed rude. In fact she was gaging his reaction and he did not take this well. He had a problem with women, particularly woman in authority. Fin caught on to her and shook his head in amusement.

"I see what you did there." He said once Mason was out of ear shot. She gave him a bit of a smirk.

"I don't know to what you are referring to Detective."

"Yeah, you do." He turned to look at his partner. "We need to take a second look at our witness." Carisi have him a surprised look and then it dawned on him what had taken place. He turned back to Evie with an impressed look.

"You were baiting him." She nodded in agreement.

"I had him pegged two seconds after meeting him. I'm telling you he is hiding something.”

"So you're a profiler." Barb a stated where he still stood by her side.

"Among other things." She answered. "That and I notice detail."

"Like what?"

"Like the fact that he watched me with contempt, especially when I challenged him or the fact that he kept looking over to his right which is where I'm assuming the freshest body is located and how about the fact that he was wearing clothing that was defiantly not suited for a big hike and if that dog is a German Shepard than I’m the queen of England. He also took his time answering what kind of dog he had along with the fact that s _he_ is actually a _he._ What dog owner doesn’t know his own dog? But I can't make any official report until I do see the newest body."

"Any some evidence would be nice." Oh yes a skeptic. She turned to look back at the lawyer with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh you will have your evidence and much more councilor." She added and then away before she could see the amusement that danced in his eyes. This was going to very interesting.

“What kind of dog is it anyway? It looked like a German Shepard to me.” Carisi asked her as she turned to make her way deeper into the crime scene.

“And you would be wrong. He’s a Belgian Malinois. I know because I work with two of them. You might want to expand our search to include the real owner of that dog. And before you say anything Councilor I don’t believe Mr. Mason killed anyone.” She added as she turned to The ADA who stood there mouth open ready to question it. Surprise once again flashed in his eyes as she had beaten him at his own game. “He is an opportunist, I think he found the dog and stumbled on to this mess. Why he was here to begin with, that is the million dollar question.” She turned away as she heard Fin’s voice, a note of amusement in his voice.

“I told ya she was good.”

“All right boys; let’s find out what is really going on here.” She added as she continued on.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Thank you, thank you for all the kind words and comments. It really means a lot. This story is going to be a bit different so I hope everyone sticks with me. Please let me know what you think!

**Chapter Two**

The worst part of her job was the bodies, always the bodies. No matter how long she had done this, no matter how many she had seen it, it never got any easier. Yet she did it telling herself again and again that the tears and nightmares could come later. They always watched her for her reaction. She had to be strong and now more eyes watched new eyes as she surveyed the three bodies they had already dug up, all small all children. _Focus_ , she demanded herself _, focus on the details._ Details were the best and that was when she started to pick up something. That was when she started to noticed the small details. This was not your typical crime scene.

“What do you mean by that?” A voice suddenly said next to her. She looked up suddenly to meet a very curious pair of green eyes. She must had spoken out loud, something that was not uncommon for her. He too was someone who noticed detail and questions; he seemed to ask a _lot_ of questions. He was curious, that much was evident. Curiosity could be a good trait but it could also be a bad habit, still she figured with him being a prosecutor it was needed. She was studying him again and he her. It was disconcerting to say the least. She gave herself a mental shake and took a deep breath before she voiced her thoughts.

“Something doesn’t feel right.” She added and ignored the questionable look. She scanned the trees and found what she was looking for. “Here, hold this.” She said as she passed off her back pack, which held her equipment, to the nearest set of hands which happened to be the said curious ADA. She opened the flap pulling out her camera and turned away not making eye contact. She did, however catch his shocked expression from the corner of her eyes, Finn’s attempt to not laugh and Carisi’s look of confusion. She smiled to herself as she looped her camera over her shoulder and went to the nearest tree. She then started to climb. A chorus of _What are you doing?_ Echoed around her as she rolled her eyes and hiked herself higher into the tree. She found her footing and leaned her back against the trunk. Taking her camera she used it to focus on the scene in front of her. She snapped a few pictures here and there looking for details she may have missed. She knew what she was looking at the minute she had gotten into the trees but she tried to convince herself otherwise. If she was right, this was far worse than anyone would be prepared for.

“You want to tell me what you’re doing up there?” A voice from below called up to her. A quick glance told her who it was and that yes he still held her backpack although rather awkwardly. If the situation wasn’t so dire she might find the humor in such a situation. Instead she looked back into her lens and snapped some more pictures.

“I’m getting you your evidence Conciliar.” She answered back.

“From a tree?” He asked sarcasm mixed with disbelief and maybe a hint of amusement. She felt a bit of a smile tug at the corner of her lips but kept it at bay due to their situation.

“I needed a different vantage point.” She added as she took a few more shots and prepared to climb down. “What we are dealing with is something much more sinister than a mass grave site I’m afraid.” She said as she jumped the last few feet landing on her feet right in front of three startled men. She approached Barba relieving him of her bag. She added a thank you before she finished her thought. “I saw a pattern.” She added as if that answered everything and walked toward one of the graves. Looking down and then crouching down she took in the small set of bones. They had been there maybe a year if not a tad longer. At first glance she could tell that the victim was a female about seven or eight years old and that her matter of death had been brutal. From the corner of her eye she saw Finn kneel down beside her.

“You see something Evie?” She nodded her head in confirmation as she turned to meet his eyes.

“I’ve seen this before and if I’m right…” She added as she stood up and he followed suit. She shook her head.

“You usually are.” Finn stated. “So why don’t you give us a clue to what we are looking at.” She took a deep breath not wanting to voice it unless she was sure, really sure. 

“Well, I don’t want to make an assumption until I’m really sure.” She stated as she scanned the area again looking for that last piece of evidence that would link it to what she knew she would find and then she spotted it. Her heart sank and she mumbled a curse which wasn’t unheard as several pairs of eyes landed on her in shock.

“That bad, huh?” Finn questioned following her gaze but not really seeing what she was and why would he. He didn’t know what to look for but she did. She knew all too well.

“That bad.” She responded as she made her way to a tree across the crime scene. With her gloved hand she lightly touched the tree truck so as to not disturb the evidence but rather to convince herself it was there. A small rather lightly painted black circle was painted on the tree. To the untrained eye it would have been nothing but to her it was the whole story. She started taking more pictures and then reached into her bag to collect an evidence container to scrap what she could of the paint off. She taped it, marked it and put it away. She turned around again and found her face to face with the curious detective and the ADA. They were waiting for her, she knew she needed to say something and once her theory was out there would be no turning back. Barba gave her a look that said spill it so she did.

“When I said this was bad I wasn’t just spitting nonsense. I noticed a pattern in the way the bodies are buried.”

“What kind of pattern?” Finn asked her.

“They are buried in sections. About five to six bodies a piece laid out side by side. That tells me that this is a dumping ground so we are dealing with more than perp and it growing.”

“What else aren’t you saying Doctor?” Barba asked her as he approached her. “What was it that has you so shook up?” His eyes searched hers for an answer. To say that she was shocked that he could read her so well would be an understatement. She had to look away as hard as it was. Tearing her eyes away and then back toward the tree where she had seen the circle she took a deep breath.

“There is an evil at work here that is unlike anything you have ever encountered Councilor that I can guarantee.” She looked back up at him seeing that he wanted her to elaborate but she didn’t, she couldn’t not here. “Listen, I know you want answers and I will give them to you but for now I need to scour this crime scene as soon as my team gets here and it needs to be done quickly. There is a storm moving in and we can’t lose anything. I won’t lose anything.” She said it with such determination that he seemed to back off for a moment. He nodded his head and then looked up at the sky. At that moment there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. He looked back at her with a raised eyebrow. “Trust me, it’s coming.” She answered his unvoiced question. He gave her a bit of a smirk but let it go as Carisi came over to them.

“Hey Doc, I think your team has arrived.” She looked to where he indicated as a man and woman both in their thirties approached each with a Belgian Malinois on a leash. She went over to great them before turning back to her other companions.

“Hey everyone this is Tim and Hazel Parker. They help me from time to time. And this is my team.” Carisi went to go shake Tim’s hand who gave a bit of a laugh.

“Oh no we are not her team. She was talking to the dogs.” He indicated to the creatures sitting at their feet. One almost all black with a dark brown undertone and the other gray almost silver.

“Your team is a pair of dogs?” Finn asked as he shook his head with a slight chuckle. “Why am I not surprised?”

“Two very highly intelligent and very trained pair of dogs. They know their job and are very good at it.” She crouched down to their level. “Okay guys time to shine.” She gave them a command in German and they stood up and followed her into the crime scene. “Everybody meet Bonnie and Clyde.” She said over her shoulder as she got down to her work. It wasn’t until the sky opened up and started to pour that she pulled herself away. Several more bodies had been uncovered which were now covered with blue tarps thanks to the NYPD crime lab which was helping with the evidence gathering. A temporary shelter had been set up on level ground as well as a command center. It was here that everyone currently stood waiting out the rain. Arms crossed she stood beside the ADA who surprisingly hadn’t left.

“Told you it was going to rain.” She said as she bumped him slightly in the shoulder. He looked at her with a slight raised eyebrow, a look that he seemed to give her often. He sighed slightly in frustration. “Don’t worry I’ll get you what you need.” He turned and looked at her full on.

“What I need is to know what we are dealing with. So far you haven’t given me anything.” He was a tough nut to crack but then so was she. She looked at him again, really looked at him. He wasn’t a patent person that much was evident and yet he was still here which was curios. He was used to getting his way in a roundabout way and seemed to be pushy. He was sarcastic almost over the top so and had a quick wit about him, yet his eyes showed who he really was. Someone who was full of compassion and wanting to do the right thing and then it struck her. He was a lawyer with a heart, what a novel approach. What she didn’t realize was as she studied him he was doing the same to her. He realized it before she did.

“Are you profiling me Doctor Chase?” He asked as she shook herself out of what she was doing and looked away with a shrug.

“Maybe I am, but its no more than what you are doing to me. Besides maybe I find you a bit fascinating.” He didn’t respond for a moment and she caught him looking at her through narrowed eyes from the corner of her own. A smile threatened to twitch again. She uncrossed her arms and turned to look at him once more. “Look, would you rather have me be one hundred percent sure with evidence to back it up or just give you a formed theory with no basis. I have a general idea what is going on but I need the evidence and when this rain stops in about two minutes I will get for you. Can you give me that?” She was offering him an olive branch hoping he would at least consider. He finally nodded in agreement though slightly reluctantly. “Okay then.” She added as she turned back around called to both Bonnie and Clyde as she ventured back out in the rain. She hadn’t gotten more than two feet when the rain ended abruptly.

“Who _are_ you?” He asked and she turned back around.

“Just someone who wants the same thing as you Mr. Barba. I want justice.” She then made her way back up the hill and back to the grizzly crime scene. Her day had just barely begun.


End file.
